Ensilage-harvester attachment



Patented Feb. 26, 1924.

ANDREAN Gi. RONNING AND ADOLPH RONNING, F MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

ENSILAGE-HAIRVESTER ATTACHMENT.

Original application led March 6, 1916, Serial No. 82,516. Divided and this application led June 30, I

1919. Seria1No.307,734.

To all whom t may concem:- Y Be it known that we, ANDREAN Gr. RON- NING and ADOLPH RONNING, citizens of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in 5 the county of Hennepin and State of Minne- Sota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ensilage-Harvester At.- tachments, of which the following 'is a speciication.

Our invention relates to ensilage harvester attachments yand an object is to provide an attachment of this character which can be readily attached tovarious types of tractors which may or may not be slpecially designed for ensilage harvester wor This applica- .tion is a division ofour prior application Serial Number 82,516, filed March 6, 1916,

which subsequently to the filing of the present application maturedinto Patent Number `1,340,461, dated May 1,8, 1920.

The full objects and advantages of our invention will appear in connection with the detailed descriptionthereof and the fnovel features embodied in our inventive idea will be particularly pointed out' in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a top planview. Fig. 2 is a side view. Fig. 3 is a view in vertical section transversely through the rearportion of the machine.

Kx Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view showing securing the same.-

The main frame 1 of the tractor is carried by and substantially balanced on drive wheels 2 which carry at their inner sides spur gears 3 meshing with spur gears 4, the latter being secured to the free outer ends of `tlercurved\deflecting arms, and means for diiferential shafts 5' and 5 connected to the engine 7 by customary differential and clutch mechanism. The engine shown for illustrative purposes is a four-cylinder-engine and the power to the ensilage har Jester attachment is transmitted by means of a shaft d suitably journaledl in the tractor frame and provided with a beveled gear d meshing with a beveled gear d3 secured to the engine shaft, which has a belt pulley 45 on the outer end thereof. The shaft d may be connected up with the-ensilage cutter cylinder shaft 71 by an well-known coupling device d A bevele gear d on the shaft meshes with a beveled gear d mounted on a transverse countershaft 037 which is suitably 'ournaled in the ensila e harvester frame 47.

es is frame is attache to the tractor frame 1 by brackets da suitably connected to the rear ofthe tractor frame. The gathering frames 99 are ivotally attached .to the side of the frame 4 in customary manner so as to allow the frames 99 and attached casting 60 -98 freedom for pivotal adjustments. A

shaft e? issuitably ljo'urnaled on brackets d" and carries on its inner en d anl upwardlyextending arm e3 pivotally connected lat its upper end to a guide rod e* which is `pivotally attached at its rearend to a vert-ical] extending lever arm er? which is pivotall'y mounted at its lowerend uponV a quadrant The lever arm e5 is provided with the usual mechanism to engage the teeth of tlfe 'l0 quadrant e so that it ma lbe secured in any set adjustment. The sha t e2 is provided at its outer end with a forwardly and down*- wardly inclined crank arm e7 which is rigidly secured at its lower end to a pin e*3 at right angles thereto. The pines is` suitably mounted in' the gathering frames 99 with freedom to slide forwardly and. rearwardly therein when tilted by means of the lever mechanism just described. Guide lingers e9 are suitably attached to the upper portion of the gathering frames 99 and these fingers are curved so as to direct the corn stalks into the hopper f. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the guide lingers or 'deilecting arms e9 may be secured by bolts 114 to lugs 115 on the rear ends of/the gathering frames 99 so that these lingers or arms` ma be readily secured in position extending either toward the right or left as desired. The gathering frames99 are spaced from each other and are rigidly connecte-l by bolts or in any suitable mannero to the harvesting frame, andthe top boards or plates of these frames incline downwardly toward the front while their front inner edges diverge so as to guide the standing stalks into the channel between the two frames. The movement ofthe corn stalks is insured by endless conveyers in the form of` relatively long upper sprocket 100 chains provided with projecting teeth 101 and supported to run over sprocket wheels 102, 103 and 104 mounted in the gathering frames. Relatively short. lower ysprocketchainsl 105 are supported to run over 105 sprocket wheels 106 and 107 also mounted on the gathering frames. The sprocket wheels 102, 1 08 and 106- are idlers, while the sprocket wheels 104 and 107 are driving 'wheels which are secured to oblique shafts tie Q i ,casper 108 suit-sbl)T journaled in the frames 99 and the casting 9S, and these shafts are provided at their lower ends with beveled gears 109 meshing with beveled gears 110 which are connected with a. shaft 112 carrying at its forward end customary means for reciprocating a sickle 113 mounted in suitable guides in the frames. Immediately back of the sickle is a U-shaped chiite 140 arranged to receive the stalks from the sickle and deliver them at its reairend to feed apron 93 provided with slats 911. It the guide fingers c are turned tirextcnd as shown in full lines the stalks will be deposited upon-the feed apron butt ends toward the cutter and in horizontal position, and it the fingers are turned in the opposite direction, as indicated in dotted lines, the stalks will tip in the opposite direction and be deposited on the .feed apron top ends toward the cutter and in horizontal position. The stalks are cut by the cylinder knives 13T operating in counection with the ledger plat-e 138. The cylinder shaft 71 carries a sprocket Wheel fl over which runs a sprocket chain f3, the outer loop of which runs over a sprocket Wheel ft which is secured toda shaft 83 mounted upon which is a sprocket wheel 126 over Which runs a sprocket chain 132 provided With elevator buckets 133, the ,outer end of the chain running over a sprocket Wheel 134 secured to a shaft 135 journaled in the outer end of an elevator frame 125. This type of ensilage harvester attachment may be applied to various forms of tractors and the oui'wvheel type has been chosen for illustrative purposes only.

We claim: i

1. A harvester comprising a stalk cutter, an ensilage cutter, means for turning the severed stalks into substantially horizontal posit-ion, means for adjusting said turning means to tip the stalks in opposite directions as desired, and means for feeding the stalks to said ensilage cutter either butt ends first or top ends First according to adjustment of said turning means.

2. A harvester comprising a stalk cutter, an ensilage cutter, means for turning the severed stalks into substantialy horizontal position.- means for adjusting said turning means to tip the stalks in opposite directions as desired, means for feeding the stalks to said ensilage cutter, either butt ends first or top ends first accordingr to adjustment of said turning iiieans. and an engine on said harvester having connections for driving said stalk cutter and said ensilage cutter.

3. A harvester comprising a stalk cutter at the side ol the harvester, an ensilage cutter at rear of the harvester, means for turning the severed stalks into substantially lhorizontal position, means for adj ustingvsaid turning nieans to tip the stalks in opposite directions as desired, and means for feeding the stalks to said ensilage cutter either butt ends first or top ends first according to the adjustment of' said turningineans.

4.- A harvester comprising a stalk cutter at the .side of' the harvester, va hopper at the rear of said stalk cutter, defiecting arms for A directing the severed stalks into said hopper, an ensieage cut-ter at the rear of the harvester, a feeding device for delivering the stalks to said ensilage cutter, and means for adjusting said -deflccting arms to deposit the stalks in opposite directions, as desired, upon said feeding device.

5. Aliarvester comprising a stalk cutter at the side of' the harvester, a hopper at the rear of said cutter, deflecting arms for directing the severed stalks into said hopper, an ensilage cutter at the rear 'of the harvester, a feeding fdeviee for delivering the stalks to said ensilage cutter. means for adjusting Ysaid deflecting arins Vto deposit the stalks in opposite directions, as desired, upon said feeding device, and toothed endlessweauriers for directing the' stalks to said stalk Cutter and cooperating with said detlecting arms to direct the severed stalks into the said hopper.

6. A harvester comprising a stalk cutter,

an ensilage cutter consisting of' rotary cutting knives and a cooperating ledger plate, means for turning the severed stalks into substantially horizontal position, and means for feeding the stalks top ends first to said ensilage cutter for cuttingthein into small pieces.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aiix our signatures.

ANDREAN G. RUNNING. ADOLPH RUNNING. 

